Carnegie Hall - What to Wear?

Parent Cafe
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<p>tea length, I’m assuming, is knee length, which is completely fine.
keep in mind, it will probably be cold. The beginning of winter here was warm, but is now getting very cold, so either winter is just coming late and March will be relatively cold, or this is just a bad cold front and in March we’ll be back to the unusually warm temperatures we had in Dec and early Jan. Usually I think March temps could range between 30-50 degrees, once in a while it snows then too. You’ll prob be able to tell more closer to then. </p>

<p>Anyways, a nice tea-length or cocktail type dress sounds great. Try pumps for shoes (they have some really cute ones at Payless for like $20, patent). A coat would be a nice investment. You can never go wrong with a great peacoat. They’re on sale @ Delia’s for like $40 or something. They have some cool trench coats @ H&M now too. Forever 21 has some too. I’ll try to get websites. </p>

<p>Edit:
Ok, these are the pumps. They’re absolutely adorable and fit really well. Really comfortable. I just bought them: <a href=“http://www.payless.com/Catalog/ProductDetail.aspx?&TLC=Womens&SLC=WomensDress&BLC=WomensDressClassic&Width=Regular&ItemCode=55705&LotNumber=052879&Type=Adult&Popularity=847&DescriptiveColor=Black[/url]”>http://www.payless.com/Catalog/ProductDetail.aspx?&TLC=Womens&SLC=WomensDress&BLC=WomensDressClassic&Width=Regular&ItemCode=55705&LotNumber=052879&Type=Adult&Popularity=847&DescriptiveColor=Black&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>This is the Delia’s coat: <a href=“http://store.delias.com/item.do?categoryID=490&itemID=44509&sizeFilter=&colorFilter=&brandFilter=[/url]”>http://store.delias.com/item.do?categoryID=490&itemID=44509&sizeFilter=&colorFilter=&brandFilter=&lt;/a&gt;
They have other ones that are a bit more expensive ($60-$70)</p>

<p>Oh yeah, and Target has a really cute LBD thats pretty cheap, like $30</p>

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<p>How wonderful for your daughter! That sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Please let us know how it all went afterward!!</p>

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<p>I have a fairly long, black “poncho” type coat - very dressy, easy to wear, goes with everything. Since my kid is a performer, I attend a fair number of concerts, and it is a wonderful coat to own. (Got it at Sears on sale, bought on impulse. Even my D borrows it from time to time.) If your D anticipates being with this boyfriend any length of time, I’ll bet she’ll get her money’s worth out of a nice coat.</p>

<p>Last concert I attended, I noticed everything from students in jeans to young couples in fancy dress. The average “middle-aged” market was in “dressy casual.” Guys in suits, sport jackets, or even just dress shirts. Ladies in longer skirts or dress pants, and nice tops. My S wears a black dress shirt and black pants when he is attending rather than performing.</p>

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<p>Just to clarify…is this a performance followed by family dinner or followed by a reception. I assumed from the original post “just” going out to a restaurant, but a reception is a bit different. </p>

<p>binx - don’t forget the girls wear scarves all the time. I thought it was a NYC thing til we visited St.Mary’s Md. and the girls in the panel had lowcut shirts (the kind I didn’t let DD2 wear for the visit) and those long thin winter scarves. does that make the outfit formal? (g)
I forget - is son a junior or senior? We should have a pre or post concert CC meet of the j-yard parents.
I will be the one in khaki pants and sneakers. maybe I’ll get dress sneakers for the graduation?</p>

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<p>S is a junior. Yours is a senior? What are his (?) plans? We’re hopefully heading up there first week of April. Unfortunately, S didn’t get placed in the concert that week, although there’s a chance that could change. Says the piece needs lots of horns. We’ll be up there for a wedding. The way I see it, two events requiring dressy clothing means I get to go shopping. (I’ll be the one in the black cape. :slight_smile: )</p>

<p>And in an effort to get back on topic, good point about the dinner. And if the parents are going, it might even be worth it to find out what the mom is wearing. I’m hugely in favor of asking in advance.</p>

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<p>OldinJersey it’s all three, in succession. I don’t know what is a performer’s reception but that’s sandwiched in between. </p>

<p>D goes to school and lives in, ah, USDA zone 10a, plus she’s a girl jock, so, her entire warddrobe is Nike, balanced out by the sorts of things young ladies wear to South Beach. Fitting is hard for her because she tends to hold whatever shape her training protocols cause (too muscular sometimes, significantly thinner other times). The only closed toed shoes she owns are cheap ugly things as required by chemistry etc. lab classes - college policy is no open toed shoes in any of the labs. So getting a nice pair of shoes that will be comfortable, and that will also be attractive and flattering for size nine feet is going to be a scream. (Alamode, thanks for recommending Payless, I wonder if quality will be an issue???)</p>

<p>She has been asking me for some time to help her with a warddobe upgrade so she can transition into real life, which, I’m perfectly happy to do, but I was sort of waiting to hear a rational plan first. LOL. </p>

<p>Bottom line, she has never been to such an event, and doesn’t know what to do. The young man is very important to her - his parents are college professors currently teaching in Indonesia but midwestern U.S. citizens, flying in for this event (so borrowing from the mother won’t really work), and she wants to make a nice impression. (I don’t think D has any way of determining what the parents will be wearing.) </p>

<p>She doesn’t know anything about music, and neither do I. She did go to see Les Mis on Broadway with her best friend when they were in NYC last month (they absolutely loved it and D told me they both cried), but, I am sure they scrapped together their dollars and spare change to buy their tickets, and they almost certainly dressed like the college students they are.</p>

<p>I think I will steer her in the direction of buying a very nice coat that can be leveraged for business attire later (hopefully there will actually be some business events later :slight_smile: )</p>

<p>As to the dresses, she discovered last night that none of her existing inventory (left over from high school) fits, and decided “if I don’t work out for six weeks maybe I can lose enough muscle mass” which of course isn’t really going to work. </p>

<p>So, I think what I should do is advise her to buy a (black) cocktail dress - it seems like that will have more flexibility and be more useful for future events than a tea length dress, plus it should be elegant enough since he will be in a tux, right??? and, since I am in NYC a few times before the end of March, maybe I should figure out her size, and buy the coat for her. There is not much inventory/selection where we live, and I suspect that what gets down here may be leftovers from the north, that didn’t sell. I own long winter coats that I use for business trips, but, I purchased them in northern cities because I couldn’t really find anything otherwise. Buying a coat online scares me; we don’t know enough about coats to trust our judgment and would rather be able to see, feel and examine rather than order online.</p>

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<p>If your daughter already has dressy sandals, she could carry a slightly large handbag with the dressy sandals inside and swap from practical walking shoes (even sneakers) to the dressy sandals when she comes inside. (Carry a plastic bag for the outside shoes.) That is routine, at least in Boston, and I would assume in NYC as well.</p>

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<p>not the best person for fashion sense but here is my take, having been to a zillion performances and know a few college teachers. I’d like to say first of all that many women who teach college seem to be a bit more into vibrant, artsy clothes, but in this case I’d get a fancy colored scarf to wear with the LBT if that’s what she goes for.
Buy a dress, but get one that has at least elbow length or longer sleeves, not tight fitting. Also there are some that have little lightweight jackets that have long sleeves. mid calf length dress. If it’s not too fancy, a hankerchief hem - uneven lengths-which to my mind let the legs look great without calling notice to any extra calf muscles. I’d pick dress style -wraparound, empire waist (back at last) etc. by her body type.
check out some at bloomingdales.com and nordstrom.com and then go to the prom dress thread here on where to find that 400 dollar dress for 100 bucks. The dresses in Little Black Dress section also come in other colors.
imho the dress that she feels best looking in is what to get.
This is based on DD1 who did a lifetime of karate and if she looks at a exercise machine she bulks up.
get a plain black dress coat NO shoulder pads! Knee to mid calf length. This is useful forever.</p>

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<p>I agree with the black cocktail dress plan. That will be useful FOREVER, can always be dressed up or down and made more artsy or more conservative by selection of accessories, etc. If your D is really ready to start building a wardrobe, the “little black dress” is a basic building block.</p>

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<p>Lord & Talylor has some great black and white dresses on their Fifth Ave windows right now. I am trying to think of an occassion that we (myself and my daughters) could use those dresses.</p>

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<p>I’ve bought payless black pumps (with less heels than the ones linked) that lasted for years.</p>

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<p>I am trying to think of an occassion that we (myself and my daughters) could use those dresses.</p>

<p>During auction season- black and white is a popular theme</p>

<p>I prefer costume auctions myself- but cocktail dresses are fun too- however H doesn’t dress up, so I look a little fancy</p>

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<p>I just skimmed but did no one suggest a classic little black dress? That’s what you will find on most upscale young women in NYC. A well cut one is an excellent investment. sh’ee wear for years. Dress up with Pearls or whatever you have. Looks perfect in pictures with guy in tux.</p>

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<p>Have her check out Ross Dress for Less. I found my Calvin Klein full length wool coat there. At a Ross that was located in a location that the average temp year round is 70 degrees so you never know. It is also worth looking for nice shoes as well.</p>

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<p>Both my Ds and I have little black dresses- from a simple cotten one to a more silky one…</p>

<p>Also, we have some basic black pumps and some more trendy shoes</p>

<p>Have some basic pearl jewelry (doesn’t have to be real- there are some very good fakes out there), or a sparkly scarf</p>

<p>Another basic is a black pullover sweater, black cardigan, a black fitted blazer, a pair of black trousers, and a basic black skirt that suits the body type…you have those and you can dress up or down pretty much anything</p>

<p>I found an evening coat, for lack of a pbetter word for my D for 35 dollars, perfect proportions and she is a 0-2</p>

<p>I think before a girl goes off to college, they should have these basics…appropriate for funerals, interviews, parties, receptions, etc</p>

<p>Take the black trousers, with a bright sweater for a lunch, or make black suit, get some “in style” tops to modernize the look- say a leopard top or glittery top (hey they are fun) at a Forever21 type store and you have something great for a date…okay I know dating is different,but sometimes you want to have some fun</p>

<p>My Ds have this collection of fun scarves to work with (wasy to send to college) </p>

<p>PS- everything should be hand or machine washable, the blazer should last if it needs to be dry cleaned</p>

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<p>I’ll go against the grain here. I suggest a nice pair of black dress pants she can keep in her wardrobe. If she has time and since she doesnt own a coat, can she find a black velvet blazer on sale somewhere?Pair that with a nice dressy shirt or sweater or camisole.Borrow a pashmina type shawl from someone to throw over the blazer.she can wear a pair of low black boots with the pants.Again something she can use again.she doesnt have to match the performer in level of dress,hes performing. A performers reception can mean plastic cups in the lobby or something more formal.It will be iffy weather in NY at that time and quite possibly rainy.This way shes warm enough,covered,can walk around (as opposed to being in pumps.open toes shoes) and I think perfectly attired for her age .</p>

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<p>I like Cathymee’s suggestions. From observation, some black dressy slakcks and a suitable jacket come in useful over time. And there are any number of circumstances that closed-toed shoes are desirable or appropriate…I don’t think that’s a wasted purchase either.</p>

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<p>Agree with those who have suggested raincoat/all weather coat (below the knee) with a removable wool/wool-like lining. Burlington Coat usually has a very good selection…and they usually are somewhat dressy looking…especially in black…but can also be worn with jeans. Cost is usually $50 to $100, and a good “investment” if a fairly timeless style is purchased. </p>

<p>I find that at least 50% of the women on a night out in NYC are wearing black pants! But…a knee length dress would be fine, too…for being with the parents and family. Something shorter or longer would be appropriate for attending an event at Carnagie Hall… if she were just going out with contemporaries!</p>

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<p>I think sometimes you just need to take it up a notch, and this particular event is one of them…know if he is in a tux, and she is wearing a black suit like outfit…umm…bobsy twins comes to mind…an if she wears a white blouse, throw on a bow tie…</p>

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<p>AND the girl has never met his family, she will be on “display” as it were, I suggest a dress or at least a skirt, and some color- through a scarf, jewelry…you don’t want to look like your date, so if going for a blazer and slacks look, maybe a glittery camisole would be better, something less “businessy and adult”, but more youthful…</p>

<p>one of my Ds favorite dressy outfits is a skirt that “flips out” the kind you can spin in, just at the knee, and silky satiny top with lots of colors, her heels and a classic evening sweater…</p>